Aprender idiomas faz o cérebro crescer

Você sabia disso!

Um recente estudo de uma universidade sueca descobriu que partes do cérebro de estudantes de idiomas desenvolveu e aumentou em tamanho enquanto que o dos alunos regulares, não!

Leia a matéria completa abaixo.

Language learning makes the brain grow

Have you ever thought that learning new languages would help develop your brain?

A recent study at Lund University in Sweden investigated the effect on the brains of students who were learning a new language intensively compared to other students who were studying intensively, but not languages. Remarkably, they discovered that parts of the language learners’ brains had increased in size, while this was not the case for the non-language learning group.

At the Swedish Armed Forces Interpreter Academy in the city of Uppsala, young people with a flair for languages go from having no knowledge of a language such as Arabic, Russian or Dari to speaking it fluently in the space of 13 months. From morning to evening, weekdays and weekends, the recruits study at a pace unlike on any other language course.

Young recruits learn a new language at a very fast pace. By measuring their brains before and after the language training, a group of researchers have had an almost unique opportunity to observe what happens to the brain when we learn a new language in a short period of time.

As a control group, the researchers used medicine and cognitive science students at Umea University – students who also study hard, but not languages. Both groups were given MRI scans before and after a three-month period of intensive study. While the brain structure of the control group remained unchanged, specific parts of the brain of the language students grew. The parts that developed in size were the hippocampus, a deep-lying brain structure that is involved in learning new material and spatial navigation, and three areas in the cerebral cortex.

“We were surprised that different parts of the brain developed to different degrees depending on how well the students performed and how much effort they had had to put in to keep up with the course”, says Johan Martensson, a researcher in psychology at Lund University, Sweden.

Students with greater growth in the hippocampus had better language skills than the other students. In students who had to put more effort into their learning, greater growth was seen in an area of the motor region of the cerebral cortex. The areas of the brain in which the changes take place are linked to how easy it is to learn a new language. The development varies according to individual performance.

Previous research from other groups has indicated that Alzheimer’s disease has a later onset in bilingual or multilingual groups.

“Even if we cannot compare three months of intensive language study with a lifetime of being bilingual, there is a lot to suggest that learning languages is a good way to keep the brain in shape”, says Johan Martensson.

Source: http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/top-stories/language-learning-makes-your-brain-grow

Gerúndio ou Infinitivo?

Muitos alunos me perguntam como saber quando usar e ING ou TO na hora de escolher o tempo verbal mais apropriado . No entanto a regra é mais de memorizar do que de entender.

Abaixo segue uma pequena lista com alguns verbos que pedem o gerúndio e outros que pedem o infinitivo.

Seguem alguns exemplos:
When two verbs are used together, the second verb is often in the gerund form (-ing) or the infinitive. There are no specific rules concerning which verbs take which form. Like irregular verbs, you will need to learn which form a verb takes.
Common Verbs + ‘ing’
go

enjoy

quit

discuss

mind

can’t stand

suggest
Examples:
They go jogging on Saturdays.

I don’t mind helping you.

They can’t stand driving in traffic jams.
Common Verbs + Infinitive
promise

plan

refuse

want

need

decide

hope
Examples:
I promised to help him.

Alice needs to start that task.

He decided to quit his job.

Seven Habits for Effective Behaviour Management:

Disciplina é um dos grandes problemas dentro de sala de aula. Leia a seguir sobre 7 efetivos hábitos para gerenciar melhor a disciplina.

1 – Meet and greet at the door – the best early intervention in behaviour management is at the door.

2 – Catch students doing the right thing – nobody wants insincere praise and it can be easy to catch children doing the wrong thing so develop the ability to catch those more challenging students doing the right thing.

3 – Deal with poor behaviour privately and calmly – avoid as much as possible the public humiliation or public sanctioning of students

4 – Relentlessly build mutual trust – the relationship you have with students sustains you and carries on into the future.

5 – Directly teach the behaviours and learning attitudes you want to see – have a plan so that you know the behaviours you are trying to teach and the students know what behaviours they are trying to learn.

6 – Talk about values – never talk about behaviours in isolation – always relate them back to the culture you are trying to build and the values and truths you have as a class and as a teacher.

7 – Follow up follow up follow up – teachers who follow up are the ones the children decide to behave differently for. Write it down if you have a difficult incident with a student, then you have the control back – you can decide when and how to follow up.

Expressões Idiomáticas com “Head”

img_0102-6 Saber usar ou entender expressões idiomáticas em Inglês é importante e difícil.

Seguem algumas explicações e frases com exemplos interessantes.

The following idioms and expressions use the noun ‘head’. Each idiom or expression has a definition and two example sentences to help understanding of these common idiomatic expressions with ‘head’.

able to do something standing on one’s head -> do something very easily and without effort

He’s able to count backward standing on his head.
Don’t worry about that. I can do it standing on my head.

bang your head against a brick wall -> do something without any chance of it succeeding

I’ve been banging my head against a brick wall when it comes to finding a job.
Trying to convince Kevin is like banging your head against a brick wall.

beat something into someone’s head -> teach someone something by repeating it over and over again

Sometimes you just need to beat grammar into your head.
My father beat the importance of kindness into my head.

bite someone’s head off -> criticize someone strongly

Tim bit my head off last night at the party.
Don’t bit my head off just because I made a mistake.

bring something to a head -> cause a crisis to happen

We need to bring the situation to a head to get a resolution.
The immigration situation brought the political crisis to a head.

bury one’s head in the sand -> ignore something completely

You’re going to have to face the situation and not bury your head in the sand.
He chose to bury his head in the sand and not confront her.

can’t make heads or tails out of something -> not be able to understand something

I hate to admit that I can’t make heads or tails out of this math problem.
The politicians can’t make heads or tails out of the current employment crisis.

drum something into someone’s head -> repeat over and over until someone learns something

I had to drum German grammar into my head for two years before I could speak the language.
I suggest you drum this into your head for the test next week.

fall head over heels in love -> fall deeply in love

She fell head over heals in love with Tom.
Have you ever fallen head over heels in love?

from head to toe -> dressed or covered in something completely

He’s dressed in blue from head to toe.
She’s wearing lace from head to toe.

get a head start on something -> begin doing something early

Let’s get a head start on the report tomorrow.
She got a head start on her homework immediately after school.

get your head above water -> keep going in life despite many difficulties

If I can find a job I’ll be able to get my head above water.
Study these pages and you’ll get your head above water.

get someone or something out of one’s head -> remove someone or something from your thoughts (often used in the negative)

I’m really upset that I can’t get her o ut of my head.
She spent three years getting those experiences out of her head.

give someone a head’s start -> let someone else begin before you in a competition of some kind

I’ll give you twenty minutes head’s start.
Can you give me a head’s start?

go over someone’s head -> not be able to understand something

I’m afraid the joke went over her head.
I’m afraid the situation goes over my head.

go to someone’s head -> make someone feel better than others

His good grades went to his head.
Don’t let your success go to your head. Stay humble.

have a good head on your shoulders -> be intelligent

She’s got a good head on her shoulders.
You can trust him because he’s got a good head on his shoulders.

head someone or something off -> arrive before someone or something else

Let’s head them off at the pass.
We need to head the problem off.

hit the nail on the head -> be exactly right about something

I think you hit the nail on the head.
His answer hit the nail on the head.

in over one’s head -> do something that is too difficult for a person

I’m afraid Peter is in over his head with Mary.
Do you ever feel that your in over your head?

lose your head -> become nervous or angry

Don’t lose your head over the situation.
She lost her head when he told her he wanted a divorce.

Source: http://esl.about.com/od/idioms-intermediate/fl/Idioms-and-Expressions-with-Head.htm?utm_content=20160927&utm_medium=email&utm_source=exp_nl&utm_campaign=list_esl&utm_term=list_esl

Websites that help to learn English

There are lots of ready-made materials available for you from different websites.

Look at the materials below and choose one that you think would be good to use.

This is a song.

This is an audio series.

This is a game.

This is a short video to explain language.

This is a short video and lesson plan.

Aprenda Inglês no 2o Semestre

Não desista de seu sonho de falar Inglês

PARA

Viajar sozinho ao exterior;
Conseguir um emprego melhor;
Navegar na Internet com facilidade;
Falar com fluência com estrangeiros;
Passar num exame de proficiência;
Possibilitar aos seus filhos um aprendizado bilíngue;
Enfim, curtir um novo aprendizado.

Ainda há tempo. Você merece!

Fale comigo e aprenda no seu ritmo, com uma profissional exclusiva para as suas necessidades.

Terminology for Reading and Listening

img_0102-4

Reading for gist/Skimming

Reading quickly to get a general understanding of a written text, eg reading a description of a city to find out if it sounds like somewhere you’d like to visit.

Reading for specific information/Scanning

Searching for a particular piece of information in a written text, eg reading a description of a city only to find out which country it’s in.

Reading/listening for detail

Reading or listening more carefully so that you get a full understanding of the text, eg reading a description of a city to find out everything about it.

Listening for gist

Getting a general understanding of something you hear, eg listening to the weather forecast and deciding you might need to take an umbrella when you go out.

Listening for specific information

Listening for a particular piece of information, eg listening to the weather forecast to find out what the temperature will be tomorrow.

Inferring meaning

Making guesses about what is not stated explicitly in a text, eg listening or reading a conversation and deciding that the people are brother and sister without them saying so.

Coherence

Organising ideas in a logical way when speaking or writing so that the listener or reader can follow our ideas.

Cohesion

Joining sentences together using words like and, but and because so our language flows more easily.

Interactive strategies

Strategies we use when we are speaking, eg showing you are listening to other people by saying things like, mmmm or uh-uh or oh!

Turn taking

An interactive strategy which is about knowing when you can join in a conversation and signalling when you think someone else should speak.

Fluency

For speaking; this is speaking without a lot of hesitation and too many long pauses. For writing; this means you can write without stopping for a long time to think about what to write.

Os cinco erros mais comuns no aprendizado de inglês.

Por que todo mundo acha que é tão difícil de aprender uma língua? E que requer muito tempo para praticar? Poderia ser porque todos nós temos alguns maus hábitos que não estamos cientes?

Vamos dar uma olhada nos erros mais comuns e descobrir como podemos evitá-los.

1. Vá devagar
Quando a aventura de uma nova lingua começa, o seu entusiasmo não conhece limites. Isso é algo muito positivo. Por outro lado, é importante não depender de entusiasmo sozinho. Quando a novidade e excitação inicial terminarem, você pode não saber onde encontrar a motivação para aprender. É melhor ir devagar. Controle o seu entusiasmo e certifique-se que a aprendizagem de uma língua se torne uma atividade diária e regular.

Dez minutos por dia é melhor do que ralar durante uma semana e nada depois disso.

2. Os benefícios da memória
Memorizar frases inteiras podem ser úteis em determinadas situações, como pegar sua bagagem no aeroporto, Mas não vai ser útil quando temas surgem em conversa que não estavam no livro que você memorizou.

Use sua memória para torná-la sua aliada. Saiba frases e palavras com as quais você pode fazer associações. E quando uma palavra não parece querer sair, procure uma alternativa do que você quer dizer.

3. Ninguém é perfeito
Ninguém é perfeito e você não deve tentar ser! Um dos obstáculos no caminho para o domínio fluente de uma língua é a necessidade que você coloca em si mesmo para falar com pronúncia perfeita e livre de erros de gramática. Claro, você pode e vai chegar lá com muita prática, mas não deve ser a mais alta prioridade quando você está começando a conhecer uma linguagem completamente nova.
Dê-se uma pausa e não tenha medo de errar.

4. So trabalho e nenhuma diversão
Quando você defini um grande objetivo, como aprender uma nova língua é importante desenvolver alguma práticas regulares. Voce deve estudar com rotina, procurar assistir a filmes sem legenda, aprender a cantar uma música, praticar com um nativo.

5. O objetivo é sempre importante
Manter um objetivo em vista aumenta a motivação. Antes de começar, defina uma meta! Por que você quer aprender inglês? Para um crescimento profissional, para viajar, para estudar fora ou para interagir com estrangeiros?

Boa sorte nos estudos e siga praticando

In English.

Let’s take a look at the most common mistakes and figure out how we can avoid them.
1. Take it slow
When the adventure of a new language starts, your enthusiasm knows no bounds. On the one hand, that’s something very positive. On the other hand, it’s important not to rely on enthusiasm alone. When the newness and initial excitement has worn off, you might not know where to find the motivation to learn. That’s why it’s necessary to steer your initial exuberance in the right direction, and not let it disappear like a flash in the pan. It’s better to take it slow – tame your enthusiasm and make sure that learning a language becomes a regular daily activity.
Otherwise something like this might happen: You’ll study every day for the first week. Already in the second week you’ll skip a day because you’re too tired. The following week it happens again, and then again the week after that. Soon, you’ll be staring, frustrated, at that pile of language books on your desk.
Our Tip: Steer your initial exuberance in the right direction and make sure that learning a language becomes a regular daily activity. Ten minutes a day is better than full-on for a week and then nothing after that.
2. The benefits of a bad memory
No, we’re not crazy. We’re talking to all those people who think that memorization is the key to everything, to everyone who boasts about their photographic memory, and to everyone who gets stuck on vocabulary lists. Don’t get us wrong: a good memory is definitely helpful, but one should not forget (no pun intended) to use and train it the right way.
Memorizing entire phrases can be helpful in certain, clearly-defined situations (like picking up your luggage at the airport, for example). But it won’t be of any benefit when topics come up in conversation that weren’t in that book you so diligently memorized.
Use your memory and make it your ally. Learn phrases and words with which you can make associations or create mnemonic devices. And when a word doesn’t seem to want to come out, find an alternative or paraphrase what you mean. In this way, you don’t only get your synapses firing, but you can also remember things better and for longer periods of time. Try it for yourself!
Our Tip: Your memory is an important ally if you use it intelligently.
3. Nobody’s perfect
No one is perfect… and you shouldn’t try to be! One of the first obstacles you encounter on the path to “fluent mastery” of a language is the absurd and premature demand you place on yourself to speak with perfect and error-free pronunciation and grammar. Of course, you can and will get there with a lot of practice, but it shouldn’t be the highest priority when you’re getting to know a completely new language.
If you get lost in especially complicated grammar when you’re trying to say something simple, or if you’re only sure of yourself when you don’t make even the smallest pronunciation mistakes, then it’s highly likely that within a few weeks, you’ll give up out of total frustration.
“Until I can speak perfectly, I won’t speak. But if I don’t speak, I’ll never improve and can give up hope of ever being able to speak perfectly”. It’s a Catch 22!
Our Tip: Give yourself a break and don’t be afraid to make mistakes! You’ll soon see the progress that’ll bring you closer to your goal.
4. All work and no play…
It’s exactly you – so tirelessly and steadfastly learning – who we’re speaking to here: Are you finally going to get up out of that chair, or do you want to put down roots right where you’re sitting? You’re diligent and persistent. You’ve used your memory and your desire to learn in the best way possible. You’ve trusted yourself to speak to people because you understand that we all learn from making mistakes. And now? Now it’s time to give yourself a reward!
When you set such a big goal as learning a new language, it’s important now and then to pat yourself on the back and enjoy the success you’ve achieved. You’ve managed to have your first real-life conversation? You’ve got all that difficult pronunciation down? You’ve gotten through the jungle of pronouns? Then you should celebrate it and do something fun! Watch a film, sing a song at the top of your lungs, or listen to the radio… but, of course, in the language you’re learning! When you couple language learning with activities that bring you joy, you’ll learn more effectively and remember what you’ve learned more easily.
Our Tip: You don’t have to learn like a crazy person. There should also be time to combine the enjoyable with the practical, and have fun while learning!
5. The goal is always within sight
Learn the art of always keeping your goal within sight. Of course, anyone could say that learning for learning’s sake is the ideal picture of education… that goes without saying. But if you want to reach the end of the road, it’s important that you’re aware of why you stepped onto the path in the first place.
Why are you learning a new language? For love? To get a raise? Because you want to try your luck in a new country? Because you can’t stand films that are dubbed? Very good. Keep your goal in sight and imagine that with every tiny step forward, the path to your goal gets shorter and the top of the mountain gets closer.
Our Tip: Keeping a goal in sight increases motivation. Before you start, set a goal!
Ready to learn a new language? Use the tips above for a fresh start.

https://go.babbel.com/engmag-a67-5reasonsnotlearning-tt/1_eng_fab_mix

Welcome Back to Class!!

Queridos Alunos,

Depois dessas semanas de férias no USA, vamos reiniciar nossos trabalhos com muita alegria e energia!

Trouxe materiais bastante interessantes para animar nossas aulas e facilitar a compreensão dos conteúdos aprendidos.

Para quem não reservou seu horário, ainda há vagas disponíveis pela manhã, porém a tarde já estão esgotadas.

Agradeço o carinho de sempre e aguardo por todos com um sorriso.

XOXOXOXO – Traduzindo – Beijos e abraços

Benefícios de se estudar na 3a idade

Há muitos benefícios de estudar para os alunos idosos, como o aumento da auto-confiança, aumento das sensações de saúde e bem-estar, redução de sentimentos de isolamento e maior envolvimento na comunidade.

Muitos idosos desejam estudar uma língua estrangeira e agora há provas substanciais de que eles podem aprender um novo idioma de forma eficaz. Minha experiência é que os alunos seniores são excelentes alunos de idiomas para uma série de razões.

Experiência de vida

alunos idosos têm uma riqueza de experiência de vida e quando trazem isso para a sala de aula, enriquecem a experiência de aprendizagem de toda a classe. Professores comentam que os alunos mais velhos são excelentes na sala de aula, pois estão sempre dispostos a falar sobre suas experiências e dar as suas opiniões sobre uma vasta gama de tópicos.

Grande motivação

Alunos seniores normalmente não precisa de um certificado, diploma ou crédito universidade; sua motivação é intrínseca. Eles podem estudar por prazer intelectual, para socializar com seus pares ou porque é algo que sempre quiseram fazer. Na verdade, os alunos seniores são muitas vezes mais altamente motivados do que os estudantes mais jovens. O nível elevado de motivação é uma grande vantagem que foi identificada como um dos factores mais importantes na determinação de aprendizagem de línguas. A motivação dos alunos seniores é refletida pelo fato de que eles raramente perdem uma aula, participam de forma muito ativa na sala de aula e sempre fazem sua lição de casa.

Elemento social

Descobrimos que existe uma forte componente social em idosos que frequentam aulas de inglês. Eles costumam assistir às aulas para se misturar com os seus pares, formando amizades muito fortes e socializando depois da aula e até mesmo em seu tempo livre.

Atitude

Nossa experiência é que os alunos seniores têm uma atitude extremamente positiva em relação à aprendizagem de línguas e da vida em geral. Eles tratam ambos os seus professores e seus colegas com o maior respeito e cortesia. Professores costumam comentar sobre alunos seniores como gentis, atenciosos e trabalhadores e que é um prazer.

Portanto, a nossa experiência é que a experiência de vida, a motivação para aprender, e atitude positiva dos alunos seniores proporcionam -lhes muitas vantagens como estudantes de línguas.

No entanto, existem fatores cognitivos, afetivos e fisiológicos que podem afetar a aprendizagem de línguas depois da 3a idade e a isso precisamos ficar atentos.

Autor:

Kieran Donaghy

Paula Lyra ELT School

Aulas Particulares de Inglês – Bilingual Education

Category Archives: aprendizado bilíngue